


Of Time Lords and Disney Movies

by DarthTella



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Characters Watching The Lion King (1994), Did I Mention Fluff, Flashbacks, Fluff, Off-key Singing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 19:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14678322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthTella/pseuds/DarthTella
Summary: He recognised those words from somewhere, but with his newly rewired brain it took him a moment to remember…





	Of Time Lords and Disney Movies

The Doctor really didn’t know anything about himself anymore, except for a few things. He knew that he had a slight weakness in the dorsal tubercle of his wrist. He delightfully had more hair than he had before, but he was disappointed when Rose told him it was just sort-of brown and not ginger, and the same was probably true for his newly acquired sideburns. He also thought he had really bad skin, but he loved the mole situated between his shoulder blades. He was also a bit thinner than his previous self, which he knew would take some getting used to. He knew that sometime during his post-regenerative coma he was relieved of his leather coat and dressed in pajamas. He felt that this had to be the work of one Jackie Tyler and would just add to the awkward encounters he had with that woman.

He was learning new things as well. Like how he might just be rude given how he just shouted at Rose for giving up on him. Like how the sense of taste could go a long way to discovering the truth of the matter. For example he just figured out that the Sycorax were controlling every human with A positive blood by just dipping his finger into the small pool of blood resting inside a control matrix and tasting it. Oh, and he learned that he just LOVED pressing great big threatening buttons that must never-ever be pressed under any circumstances.

“Blood control is just one form of conquest. I can summon the armada and take this world by force.” The Sycorax leader bellowed at the Doctor.

“Well, yeah, you could. Yeah. You could do that, of course you could.” Rambling. That was also something new for this body. It was like his mouth needed something to do while his brain worked out problems. But something that wasn’t new, something that he had since his very first body was compassion for humans, and he felt it bubbling up inside this new body. “But why?” He asked putting an almost pleading tone into his voice and extending his hand at the small group of humans standing nearby. “Look at these people. These human beings. Consider their potential. From the day they arrive on the planet and, blinking, step into the sun, there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than… No, hold on.” He lapsed into a brief moment of quiet contemplation. He recognised those words from somewhere, but with his newly rewired brain it took him a moment to remember…

—

It all started with Rose’s humming.

She had sauntered into the console room humming happily to herself when Jack’s ears seemed to perk up and he started humming in return. The tune was familiar, and he knew there were lyrics. He hummed a few more bars and then started quietly singing “Hakuna matata what a wonderful phrase…” Rose turned to look at the ex-time agent with a bewildered look on her face.

“You know the words?” She gaped at him. Jack responded with a disarming smile.

“Rose, in the 51st Century, Walt and Roy Disney are considered to be two of Earth’s greatest storytellers.”

“Don’t see why!” A gruff northern voice rang out from somewhere beneath the Time Rotor. Jack and Rose looked down and watched as the Doctor wriggled his way out from where he was making his repairs and glared up at them. “They just regurgitated what other writers had done before him, watered the stories down and turned them into children’s films! A great many of them weren’t even written by them anyways. You want great story telling; try actually reading Hans Christian Anderson or Shakespeare!” Rant over, the Doctor lowered himself back under the Time Rotor and began sonicing the wiring indiscriminately. Rose rolled his eyes at the Doctor.

“Have you ever actually watched any of them?” The Doctor turned his head so he could see her through the floor grating with his patented ‘you just dribbled down your shirt, you stupid ape’ look on his face.

“I’m 900 years old. You really think I’ve any interest in watching films made for children?”

“Says the man I caught crying while reading Harry Potter…” Jack snickered. “Got a really nice photo of that moment too.” The Doctor ratcheted his glare up a couple more notches and quickly heaved himself up on to his feet.

“Book seven was really…” He started to speak but cut himself short when he realised he was saying a bit too much. “Anyway, I really don’t see what you people find so facinatin’ about Disney films. I mean you’re adults and you’re still singing songs out of those things!”

“Oh c'mon, Doctor. They’re fun!” Rose smiled at him.

“Fun?!” He almost shouted. “I can’t see how a film made for children is fun!”

“Says the man who was laughing his head off whilst riding the dogem’s at that 300th Century fair last week, where I’m sure 90% of the people around us were children.” Rose deadpanned. The Doctor opened and closed his mouth several times trying to conjure up a witty response, but only was able to manage a very grumpy sounding “Shut up.”

“There’s no convincing you, is there?” Jack piped up.

“Nope!” The Doctor smiled sarcastically. Then Rose got an idea.

“You fancy yourself a scientist, don’t you Doctor?” He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms in front of him, unsure of where this random line of thought was coming from.

“Suppose I do.” He relented.

“Then I propose an experiment.” One of his eyebrows shot up. “You watch one Disney film with us.” He dramatically rolled his blue eyes. “An’ if you don’t like it, you never have to watch another one ever again.”

“Does that also mean you’ll stop whistling show-tunes while in my presence?” He looked pointedly between Rose and Jack. The two humans shared a look between them and both nodded their assent.

“Fine, one film.” The Doctor sighed waving a single finger in the air. “Just one. So you better make it count.”

Five minutes later, the three of them were seated on the couch with great big bowls of popcorn in the TV room that had materialised on the TARDIS just shortly after Rose arrived on board. The Doctor made sure to seat himself between Jack and Rose lest the two humans decided to start any shenanigans during the film, not because of that uneasy, almost jealous feeling he felt whenever Jack was around him and Rose (at least, that’s what he told himself anyway).

“So, which one is it then?” The Doctor asked around a mouthful of popcorn as Jack pointed the remote at the screen. Rose shot him her signature tongue in teeth smile.

“My absolute favourite: The Lion King.” The Doctor sighed heavily as the lights in the room dimmed and the film started. He cringed when he realised it was a musical, although the first number was quite impressive, but the whole “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” thing was almost cringe worthy (especially since the humans flanking him couldn’t help but sing along off-key). He also tried several times to point out that animals on Earth really couldn’t talk like that, but was always interrupted by a sharp elbow to the ribs. So, they could sing along and he couldn’t point out scientific inaccuracies? Fantastic! He grumpily shoved more popcorn into his mouth as he watched the two lion cubs run away from three hungry hyenas before being rescued by who he assumed was the titular lion king (who sounded amusingly like Darth Vader).

Then a section of dialogue came up that grabbed his full attention.

“I was just trying to be brave, like you.” The little cub sobbed.

“I’m only brave when I have to be. Simba, being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble.” His father said softly. Well, if only a certain jeopardy friendly girl he knew understood that. With a smug grin, he playfully nudged his shoulder with Rose’s, hoping she’d take the hint.

“But you’re not scared of anything.” Simba continued.

“I was today.”

“You were?”

“Yes. I thought I might lose you.”

His smile suddenly faded. Thoughts of being stuck in Downing Street trying to stop the Slitheen ran through his mind.

“I could save the world, but lose you.”

He felt his hearts constrict. How could a film designed for children no less convey those emotions so perfectly? He was so lost in thought, he didn’t even know that he had slid his arm protectively around Rose’s shoulder until he realised she was staring at him. His face turned a deep shade of crimson and he was about to remove his arm, but Rose only laughed softly and leaned her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that for a long time. He hugged her even tighter when Mufasa died, knowing exactly how she felt when her own father was killed. When Rose and Jack sang along to the song they were humming in the console room earlier, the Doctor actually found himself smiling during that song too, realising he was actually striving to live the “Hakuna Matata” lifestyle every day. (At least, that was the plan…)

Then the next song started, and Jack couldn’t contain his laughter.

“Is our trio already down to two?” He joked, seeing how the Doctor had his arm around Rose and how she in turn had slung her arm around his middle.

“Quiet, tryin’ to watch here.” The Doctor shot back, not budging an inch. It was perfectly fine for two best friends to sit like that, he reasoned.

They watched the rest of the film in silence. The Doctor felt surprisingly elated when the evil Scar was vanquished and Simba took his place as the rightful king of the restored Pride Lands.

“So, what'cha think? Not so bad, eh?” Rose asked as she sat up from her surprisingly comfy Time Lord pillow. He just shrugged non-committedly.

—

“Sorry, that’s The Lion King.”


End file.
